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Approaching college while living with Cystic Fibrosis can be undoubtedly frightening. Although, great challenges bring great rewards. This is what I have come to learn during my time at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While I am only a sophomore at the university currently, I hope the knowledge I have gathered through my journey thus far will serve to touch others with CF.

I believe that living with Cystic Fibrosis requires honesty with yourself and others. Therefore, I must be completely honest with you regarding the college experience while living with CF. I do not aim to discourage but to instead challenge you to prevail. I think a unique strength was placed within all of us with Cystic Fibrosis to surmount any challenge that presents itself in our lives. One of these being college, if you so choose.

College with Cystic Fibrosis will certainly not always be easy. As you may know, sick days, lengthy therapy routines, and hospitalizations come with the territory. Combine all of this with the pursuit of higher education and one can become overwhelmed. Balance and prioritization become key in the life of a college student with CF. I know I have spent countless nights reading my textbook while my Vest was simultaneously shaking my lungs. There have also been times when I completed assignments while lying in my hospital bed. This is where balance comes in to play. Finding a system that makes time for both school and health care is crucial, but I want you to be certain that it is also achievable. Despite some extra setbacks and effort, I finished reading all of those pages in my textbook and an assignment has yet to be turned in late. Now, this is where prioritization becomes a major factor. In order to be an efficient student, your health must come first. If doing both becomes too taxing on your body, please remember that it is ok to give yourself a break from school. This has been a difficult lesson for me to learn as a student who always strives for perfect grades. The times I have put school before my health, it has never worked in my favor. I only became sicker, causing a worse impact on my academic performance than if I would have taken the time to recover initially. Carving an hour or so out of my day for therapy when I first noticed signs of sickness would have been much easier than the eventual hospitalizations that resulted from the neglect of this fact. Always put your health first. The aspirations you are seeking through your college journey can only become a reality if you are alive and well to participate in these realized dreams.

All of this may seem rather challenging. So how does all of this ultimately become rewarding? Well, that is entirely up to you. I’d like to give some insight on how this process has rewarded me, personally. This might be the same reasoning that inspires you to pursue higher education or you might have a unique drive that motivates you. Either way, hone in on this sense of why it is all worth it.

Each day attending college rewards me because it serves as a constant reminder that I am equally as capable as anyone without Cystic Fibrosis. We are all different and many of us have encountered at least some degree of a setback in our lives. Mine just happens to be Cystic Fibrosis, but I can work with this along-side my peers. One classmate may have had a parent pass away, another battled a different disease or any other challenge that life may present. Yet, we can all come together in one classroom in order to learn and grow as equals. College allows me to reflect on the fact that the circumstances life presented me with do not define me as lesser. Instead, they exist to strengthen me so that I may become more. Life with Cystic Fibrosis has not been easy and this has never been truer than in my time at college. As I sit here now, I can still honestly say that I am happy to have Cystic Fibrosis. We are forced to realize how special we truly are when challenged by this disease. Yes, I have experienced setbacks and hard times while in college. They have not defeated me and they will not defeat you. At times, I may have to exert extra effort because of my CF. The reward of knowing that I got the job done regardless is much greater than any challenge that college or Cystic Fibrosis may introduce.

The US Adult CF Association (USACFA) is excited to announce our recipients of the Lauren Melissa Kelly Scholarship for the Spring of 2018.

In our evaluation, we look for students who demonstrate tremendous academic achievement, community involvement and a powerful understanding of how having CF matched with these achievements places them in a unique situation to gain leadership roles within the community. Our scholarship is open to all pursuing any degree, from associates to Ph.Ds. We believe that any higher education is a strong foundation for advocacy and involvement in CF.

We are pleased to announce Hannah Buck and Mary Grace Bernard as the recipients of this semesters’ scholarship. Congratulations to them! They will be awarded $2500 each.

Both of our recipients demonstrated the leadership, intelligence, and drive of Lauren Melissa Kelly. We at USACFA look forward to seeing them further develop their leadership and advocacy in the cystic fibrosis community.

We are also pleased to award runner-up scholarships in the amount of $250 to five deserving applicants: Elizabeth Shea, Chloe Creager, Rebekah Weigner, Holly Beasley and Christopher Davis, Jr.

We are excited to announce more scholarship opportunities coming soon! Please stay tuned for more information. For questions, please contact us at scholarship@usacfa.org.

The Sacks for CF Scholarship is related to quarterback sacks made during the NFL season. The undergraduate and graduate award is made annually to 30 people who strive for therapy adherence and academic success.

The United States Adult Cystic Fibrosis Association (“USACFA”) offers the Lauren Melissa Kelly Scholarship award each semester, in honor of Lauren Melissa Kelly. The scholarships of up to $2500 are awarded to adults with cystic fibrosis who are pursuing career certifications, associates, and bachelor and graduate degrees.

Please find scholarship criteria and requirements on our website and direct any questions to scholarships@usacfa.org.

A fall 2017 scholarship recipient, Elizabeth Shea, has shared with us how her college experience has been shaped by having CF and all that she has been able to accomplish through the help of our scholarship and her dedication to hard work and passion in performing music. In her own words:

As a winner of the USACFA scholarship for the fall semester of 2017, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to share some of my experiences as a college student with CF. I thought it might be helpful to kids who are applying to colleges now, or those who are in college deciding on a major, to hear a little about what I’ve done and why.

First I should say I am now a junior at Stetson University. I play flute and I am a double major: music education and music performance. I added the second major at the end of my sophomore year. I also joined the music sorority Sigma Alpha Iota in my sophomore year. Both decisions have had a big impact on my life at college.

Music education was my original major, and believe me, it kept me very busy. Between classes, private lessons, multiple ensemble rehearsals, mandatory recital attendance, private practice, classroom observations and studying, sometimes I hardly have time for lunch. But, I knew that if I added a performance major, my playing ability would be seen as more competitive down the road when I’m applying to graduate school, or even in competing for a teaching job. So, I went for it.

My decision to join a sorority was also significant. Not only am I a member, I am now the treasurer of our chapter. With weekly chapter meetings, events, executive board meetings, financial reports, banking, etc. I’ve had to dedicate a decent amount of time to SAI. But the payoff has been great. The sorority gives me an awesome group of close friends who all share my love of music. I’m able to socialize with them and not just spend time in classes, performing and studying with them. I’m also getting some valuable experience being in a leadership role with responsibilities that are new to me.

So, as you can imagine, I’m really, really busy this year. I’ve had to be very careful to keep up with my medical treatments so that I can stay healthy. Bottom line is, don’t assume that because of CF you have to limit yourself or skip things. I might have to work a little harder to keep up with everything that I’ve added this year, but I am enjoying all the new challenges. Of course, this year is also harder because I’m a junior performance major and so I am expected to perform at a higher level. No pressure, right? But I think I’m up for it. Just try things and see what you can do. You can always cut back if you end up overwhelmed, but if you don’t try, you will never know if you could have done it!

The United States Adult Cystic Fibrosis Association (“USACFA”) offers the Lauren Melissa Kelly Scholarship award each semester, in honor of Lauren Melissa Kelly. The scholarships of up to $2500 are awarded to adults with cystic fibrosis who are pursuing career certifications, associates, and bachelor and graduate degrees.

Nancy Wech, Lauren’s mother, established this scholarship in Lauren’s name and memory. In Nancy’s own words:

Lauren Melissa Kelly was an extraordinary woman. Laughing, gregarious, spontaneous, fun, talkative, driven, thoughtful, smart, kind and loving — all descriptive terms for Lauren, who lost her battle with CF late in her senior year at the University of Georgia. In 1992, Lauren was chosen as one of ten Senior Leaders at University of Georgia. She had distinguished herself as a member of the Golden Key Honor Society, Mortar Board, Phi Upsilon Omicron, Gamma Beta Phi, the Tate Society and Delta Gamma sorority.

Lauren felt the most significant opportunities of her college career included participation in the reconstruction and formation of organizations, which will serve the university in the future. She acted as one of the re-founding members of the Phi Kappa Literary Society and was significant in the metamorphosis of the Z Club into the William Tate Society. Her other activities included Greeks Advocating Mature Management of Alcohol (GAMMA) in which she served as Secretary and Special Events Chair. She was also a member of the Women’s Glee Club for more than two years.

In recognition of her academic performance, Lauren’s degree of Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences was awarded posthumously. At the time of her death, Lauren was engaged to be married and living off campus in an apartment. She lived life to the fullest!

Walt Disney said, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. It’s not the days in life you remember, it’s the moments.” As Lauren’s mother stated, “I smile because she happened to me. Now, I want you to smile because she has happened to you.”

If you have any questions or concerns, reach out to us at scholarships@usacfa.org

Cystic Fibrosis is an awkward disease. Whether it’s coughing attacks in the middle of tests, the infamous CF digestive issues (for professionalism’s sake I will leave it at that, but you know what I mean), or loud treatments in the morning and at night, there are many awkward aspects to cystic fibrosis. CF’s median life expectancy is no different. Continue reading We Can, Right? – Guest blog from USACFA Fall 2017 Scholarship Winner

USACFA Scholarship Opens Today, June 1st 2017-June30th for Fall 2017!

Please share with young adults who would be interested and qualified!

The United States Adult Cystic Fibrosis Association (USACFA) is excited to offer the Lauren Melissa Kelly Scholarship award for the Fall semester 2017. The scholarship will range from $1500 to $2500 and be awarded to adults with cystic fibrosis who are pursuing career certifications, associates, and bachelor’s degrees.

Criteria:

The individual must be a United States Citizen and over the age of 18 years old.

The individual must have a positive diagnosis of cystic fibrosis.

The individual must be pursuing a bachelor’s degree, associate’s degree, or certificate.

The individual should not be an immediate family member of someone on the USACFA board.

Requirements to include in the application:

The USACFA Scholarship application form (includes the 3 essays)

A copy of an official transcript from high school (and current college if you have completed coursework)

A copy of proof of enrollment for the Fall 2017 or Spring 2017 semester

A resume

A letter from the doctor/clinic on letterhead confirming cystic fibrosis diagnosis

A headshot

Deadlines:ALL requirements must be sent in PDF or other appropriate digital format to scholarships@usacfa.org by Friday, June 30th, 2016 at 11:59 pm EST.

The United States Adult Cystic Fibrosis Association (USACFA) is excited to offer the Lauren Melissa Kelly Scholarship award for the Fall semester 2017. The scholarship will range from $1500 to $2500 and be awarded to adults with cystic fibrosis who are pursuing career certifications, associates, and bachelor’s degrees.